Physical activity behaviour and coronary heart disease mortality among South Asian people in the UK: An observational longitudinal study

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the contribution of physical inactivity to the excess mortality from coronary heart disease (CHD) observed in the UK South Asian population. Design: An observational longitudinal study with follow-up mortality data from NHS registries. Setting: Data from the Health Survey for England, 1999 and 2004. Participants: 13 293 White and 2120 South Asian participants aged ≥35 years consented to the mortality follow-up. Main outcome measures: Deaths from CHD. Results: South Asian participants were more likely to be physically inactive than white participants (47.0% vs 28.1%). Deaths from CHD were more common in UK South Asian participants, particularly among Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups (HR 2.87, 95% CI 1.74 to 4.73), than in UK white participants, and South Asian people experienced an event at an age on average 10 years younger than white people. Physical inactivity explained >20% of the excess CHD mortality in the South Asian sample, even after adjustment for potential confounding variables (including socioeconomic position, smoking, diabetes and existing cardiovascular disease). Conclusions: Physical inactivity makes a significant contribution to the excess CHD mortality observed in the South Asian population in the UK. This highlights the importance of prioritising the promotion of physical activity in this high-risk population.